Twin-Stick Shooters aren't what I usually gravitate towards but this particular game promised complexity that went above and beyond the stereotype of the genre. Not to mention that it's graphic style allows me to bear looking at it for more than three minutes, as the usual TSS looks like a Transformer's themed rave party.
So, let's get right to it, shall we.
Level Design
Where you can go in a level and how is pretty darn important, especially when the main part of the game is being chased by 30+ robots. So the layout of each level has to be precisely executed in order to make it be three things:
- Fun to Play
- Challenging but Beatable
- Good at Introducing New Concepts
And I wouldn't be talking about this game if it wasn't those three things.
As an example, let's take a look at one the earlier levels.
All of a sudden a metric tonne of these robo-bees come swelling out of the woodwork. Luckily for you, there are a few pillars nearby that they have difficulty navigating around, giving you ample time to learn about their attack patterns and take them out with ease.
This is a simple and clean way to introduce a new type of enemy using creative means and a good example of both level design and introduction of a new concept.
Where "Challenging but Beatable" really shines is in the boss battles.
Here is my first encounter with the games first boss, Embryo. The idea is simple; big room, you vs. boss, make use of powerups and your own skill to beat the baddy. It's hella fun, and as you can see at this point in the game I am barely able to defeat the guy, earning myself a D ranking for the fight.
Along with the overall simplicity of bossfights, there is still a challenge to be had with them. Each boss is creatively made to introduce new concepts and push the player to think on their toes, and timed so that the player is just about skilled enough to come out with a win. It is a beautiful mix of challenging and fun.
Battery Mechanic
Something I found attractive about this game was it's battery power mechanic. You play as humanoid robots, and have a battery that slowly drains throughout the course of each level. In order to keep your battery from draining completely [and dying] you have to pick up some more energy that is dropped by enemies on occasion. The game seems to be conscious of when you need more power, and will increase the chances of some dropping when you are low enough, but the fact that taking enough hits will 'power you down' and requires the sacrifice of some of your energy to 'reboot' makes the mechanic overall brilliant.
It is implemented well enough so that it never gets in the way, and punishes you for playing sloppily.
Overall, I've had a pleasant time with this game and will be keeping my eye on the Twin-Stick Shooter genre from now on.
Overall, I've had a pleasant time with this game and will be keeping my eye on the Twin-Stick Shooter genre from now on.
Characters
Last but not least are the characters, all designed with different play styles in mind.
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| image courtesy of blog.eu.playstation.com |
From left to right are: Cactus, Holly, Lemon, Coral, Starch, Aubergine, Shiitake, and Peanut.
Here are some quick synopses of each.
Cactus has an automatic assault rifle that is pretty decent as a primary weapon and gets pretty amazing when fully upgraded, as well as a flamethrower that is short range but incredibly damaging.
Holly's primary weapon is great for dispatching the swarm of robo-bee things and the homing-mines, as you don't really have to aim as much as you have to hold down the trigger. Although her primary is good for the multiple low-health enemies, her secondary makes up for it by being a giant piercing canonball that OHKOs pretty much everything.
Here are some quick synopses of each.
Cactus has an automatic assault rifle that is pretty decent as a primary weapon and gets pretty amazing when fully upgraded, as well as a flamethrower that is short range but incredibly damaging.
Holly's primary weapon is great for dispatching the swarm of robo-bee things and the homing-mines, as you don't really have to aim as much as you have to hold down the trigger. Although her primary is good for the multiple low-health enemies, her secondary makes up for it by being a giant piercing canonball that OHKOs pretty much everything.
Lemon has a nice spread-shot weapon that becomes more damaging the closer you are to tankier enemies, but can be nice to have when you want to keep your distance from swarms. Her secondary rocket-launcher is basically a higher-powered version of Cactus' primary, so instead of bullets it fires rockets.
Coral is the short ranged specialist, with her shotgun that is slow-reloading but has high damage per shot; useful for grouping enemies together and clearing them away in one go. Her secondary is a plasma field that repels enemy projectiles as well as damages anything that gets too close, being an effective way to bombard one area as well as create a safe place to hide behind.
Starch is the doofy character that isn't quite all there in the head, and I don't know if that is why I think she is hard to play as, or because she actually is. Anyways, her primary is a constant firing laser that does decent damage and doesn't have to be too precisely aimed.
Her secondary is a short barrage of mini-missiles that target all enemies, great for when there is one big tanky fellow on screen, or a million little ones.
Aubergine is the hardest damned thing to play in this game. She controls a small, stupid, spinning robot that is impossible to control and why would you want to anyways. Her secondary is a black hole that damages and sucks enemies towards it which makes for a great way to avoid using her primary.
Shiitake is incredibly difficult to play, but if you are skilled at playing her you are assured victory. She has as slow firing rail gun that does incredible amounts of damage but requires precision. Her secondary are floating mines that she deploys ahead of her and explode either when touched by an enemy or when their timers run out. Neither weapon makes for good spacing, so be prepared to need to know how to run around the levels.
Peanut has a cute name considering she shoots hot magma to destroy her enemies. Her primary, the lava gun thing, is a short ranged version of Starch's laser beam, except that it does more damage and makes puddles on the ground that damage enemies. Her secondary is a very physical one, where she flings herself in a straight line, pinning enemies to a wall. As an added bonus, she can pick up power-ups while using her secondary move.
No gif :(
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